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2017 Carms Match Results!


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This is simply what I heard, but the source is reliable. I know that some people who gunned only internal with strong applications, even letters from specific programs, didn't garner interviews there. Pretty intense. 

-GP

 

 

There's probably a bit of carry-over from the decrease in residency positions in Ont last year, but it's a very small effect overall. It's impossible to tell at this stage what got less competitive, but I think FM may have received less interest than normal. More 2nd round spots in FM this year compared to previous years. I wonder how much of this is notion of across-the-board increased competitiveness is just perception rather than reality - without the hard data of the match stats, everyone only has an incomplete picture at best. Plenty of hearsay and conjecture complicating the interpretation.

 

Last year, according to the CaRMS trend data was the tightest for internal medicine in the past 10 years for the first round.  There were still 21 unfilled spots  (including IMG positions) with about 450 CMG quota total.  This year there were 4 empty spots - one more than radiology (a much smaller and traditionally competitive discipline).

 

 For family there are 158/219 unfilled positions vs 119/213 last year after the first round.  The CaRMS trend on family isn't conclusive, but doesn't look like family has been becoming overall more competitive over the past several years.  

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Last year, according to the CaRMS trend data was the tightest for internal medicine in the past 10 years for the first round.  There were still 21 unfilled spots  (including IMG positions) with about 450 CMG quota total.  This year there were 4 empty spots - one more than radiology (a much smaller and traditionally competitive discipline).

 

 For family there are 158/219 unfilled positions vs 119/213 last year after the first round.  The CaRMS trend on family isn't conclusive, but doesn't look like family has been becoming overall more competitive over the past several years.  

 

Well, FM was getting consistently more interest over the course of a decade until last year, when it declined for the first time in a long time. If I had to guess where all the extra interest in IM is coming from - and I'd agree from my perspective that this was a more competitive year - it's probably coming from FM. All other specialties are too small to compensate for any major change in IM without seeing an even more dramatic change in their competitiveness. Need the match stats to draw any real conclusions though, and unmatched spots are tricky to interpret with IMGs in the mix.

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Well, FM was getting consistently more interest over the course of a decade until last year, when it declined for the first time in a long time. If I had to guess where all the extra interest in IM is coming from - and I'd agree from my perspective that this was a more competitive year - it's probably coming from FM. All other specialties are too small to compensate for any major change in IM without seeing an even more dramatic change in their competitiveness. Need the match stats to draw any real conclusions though, and unmatched spots are tricky to interpret with IMGs in the mix.

 

It looks like the FM quota was increasing steadily as well until last year too.  Yes - the IMG situation is tricky and confounds other demand/supply issues.  

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Well, FM was getting consistently more interest over the course of a decade until last year, when it declined for the first time in a long time. If I had to guess where all the extra interest in IM is coming from - and I'd agree from my perspective that this was a more competitive year - it's probably coming from FM. All other specialties are too small to compensate for any major change in IM without seeing an even more dramatic change in their competitiveness. Need the match stats to draw any real conclusions though, and unmatched spots are tricky to interpret with IMGs in the mix.

 

is all the mess in Ontario RE government restrictions on new FM partially to blame? Did people shift out of FM into internal as a response? After all there is some overlap in the two fields and you are right about spots have to come from somewhere. 

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is all the mess in Ontario RE government restrictions on new FM partially to blame? Did people shift out of FM into internal as a response? After all there is some overlap in the two fields and you are right about spots have to come from somewhere. 

 

Don't doubt that's part of it. Going through clerkship and electives, there was definitely a negative perception being conveyed of FM's future in Ontario, though I found that mostly came from non-FM physicians. 

 

I think that perception was overblown, personally. I've kept as up-to-date on the government actions and dealings as possible, yet kept on the FM path despite opportunities to jump to other specialties.

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Future FM colleagues Ralk!!!! 

Where are you doing your FM residency? (if you don't mind ) :P

Thanks for all of your detailed and uptodate posts!

Don't doubt that's part of it. Going through clerkship and electives, there was definitely a negative perception being conveyed of FM's future in Ontario, though I found that mostly came from non-FM physicians. 

 

I think that perception was overblown, personally. I've kept as up-to-date on the government actions and dealings as possible, yet kept on the FM path despite opportunities to jump to other specialties.

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Future FM colleagues Ralk!!!! 

Where are you doing your FM residency? (if you don't mind ) :P

Thanks for all of your detailed and uptodate posts!

 

I'm at one of the Western programs, pretty happy to be sticking around. Congrats on matching to U of T!

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Hey I would personally apply to all the spots in the 2nd iteration, where you would be happy seeing yourself.

Also FM residency is only 2 years, with great job opportunities anywhere in the country! As someone who hesitated a long time before FM and IM right before ROL, FM is definitely a lifestyle specialty that allows you to work where you WANT. Tired of doing obs delivery and Er night shifts in my mid-40's, fine, I will join a local clinic with day schedule!!!

I would apply to programs who refused me pre-interview in the first iteration, you really have nothing to lose.

 

@Ralk: congrats to your match! Hope that we will make FM more interesting for our future med colleagues :P

 

Is it worth re-applying to programs that already rejected you during first iteration but still have open spots in second iteration?

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Hey I would personally apply to all the spots in the 2nd iteration, where you would be happy seeing yourself.

Also FM residency is only 2 years, with great job opportunities anywhere in the country! As someone who hesitated a long time before FM and IM right before ROL, FM is definitely a lifestyle specialty that allows you to work where you WANT. Tired of doing obs delivery and Er night shifts in my mid-40's, fine, I will join a local clinic with day schedule!!!

I would apply to programs who refused me pre-interview in the first iteration, you really have nothing to lose.

 

@Ralk: congrats to your match! Hope that we will make FM more interesting for our future med colleagues :P

 

Thanks.  I was just worried that programs can see that you applied in first iteration and won't reconsider you if you were already rejected.  Hope they consider second iteration applicants as a blank slate.

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Thanks.  I was just worried that programs can see that you applied in first iteration and won't reconsider you if you were already rejected.  Hope they consider second iteration applicants as a blank slate.

 

I think it's a matter of perspective. Although you may have been "rejected" by the program in question, in a way they were also "rejected" by the applicants to that specialty, else they wouldn't have an open spot. Perhaps they thought they were more desirable than they actually were, and didn't rank enough candidates? 

 

In any case if I was a PD, I would treat the second round as a blank slate. You have a spot you need to fill. You have the choice of people who are known to be interested in the specialty, though you may have passed over them initially; vs. people who are clearly scrambling and switching specialties. Who would you rank higher? 

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Hi

I am an IMG. unfortunately, I am not matched in R1. I am well trained in a surgical speciality outside Canada

My question to you please advise me which program I can choose in R2 with  highest chance to be matched

whatever the program whatever the city

I am really frustrated

There are many family medicine spots left. I think McGill Ottawa Queens are such great programs. If you think you would be happy in family and can make a good case for it and have decent scores, I think you have a good chance of finding a match in one of the many unfilled FM spots this year. 

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Pretty much :P

 

 

This was my logic, but I also worked my electives so that it would be basically impossible to look like I had an interest in anything else. I felt like I could only say I was 100% committed if I owned the possibility of going unmatched. 

 

-GP

 

I did something similar - although I will say you can still match to say FM without much exposure. Sure you are backing up and they know that - doesn't automatically mean you would be a bad choice. Plus look at all the unfilled spots - schools have to ask themselves the same question when ranking that we had - would I rather have an unfilled spot in my program than accept this person. Often that answer is yes, even if backing up. 

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The national average was 93.5% so UBC was higher this year. I think Ottawa was around 91-92%

 

-GP

Ottawa was 91%! That must be like 15 people. I graduated from ottawa last year and two years before us their were 13 unmatched graduates. Feel bad for this year's class.

 

In my year their was a lot of angst and trepidation regarding out preparation for the match. Maybe the school needs to adjust it's curriculum. Ottawa only matches well if they have a ton of family applicants (which they push us twoards)

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Ottawa was 91%! That must be like 15 people. I graduated from ottawa last year and two years before us their were 13 unmatched graduates. Feel bad for this year's class.

 

In my year their was a lot of angst and trepidation regarding out preparation for the match. Maybe the school needs to adjust it's curriculum. Ottawa only matches well if they have a ton of family applicants (which they push us twoards)

 

This is true of every school to be honest.

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This is true of every school to be honest.

While I think that's true to a point, Ottawa is known for having a lot of applicants go into family. And thereby always having an inflated match rate. Last year ottawa had a record number of family applicants and the match rate was decent. Any deviation results in a brutal match day.

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